Local anthrax risk low

Sunday

Oct 28, 2001 at 12:01 AM

JOHN DeSANTISSenior Staff Writer

While stressing vigilance in the face of highly publicized anthrax attacks at high profile locations, federal, state and local officials, as well as experts on bioterrorism, say the risks of such attacks in places like Terrebonne or Lafourche are minimal at best.

"I think that from a mathematical and statistical perspective that is probably the case," said Special Agent Juliana Johnson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's New Orleans office. "The postal service handles 208 billion pieces of mail a year; three known letters had anthrax in them."

Local law enforcement officials have received a handful of requests for assistance from people concerned about mail they thought was suspicious, but no anthrax has been found. In one case, a woman's suspicions were raised because of a sample packet of coffee mailed in an envelope.

Statewide, officials say they have received 342 suspicious substances for testing; tests for anthrax or other biological agents were negative in 301 cases; 43 tests remain to be completed.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is still awaiting final reports from tests done on skin lesions from a postal worker in Greensburg for signs of "cutaneous" or skin-transmitted anthrax. Preliminary reports show the worker to be negative.

A letter sent to a Zachary school from the White House was tested as a precaution, but was negative.

Anthrax became a household word overnight after an employee of the NBC Nightly News in New York City was diagnosed with a form of the disease, which tests determined was contracted through spores that arrived in a letter.

Letters containing anthrax have also been confirmed at a White House mail processing facility and other national news media outlets.

But, according to the CDC and other government agencies, no anthrax letters have been mailed at random, or to residences.

In local communities some companies -- including The Courier -- are taking greater care to inspect incoming mail.

People interviewed at random in Terrebonne Parish Friday revealed few signs of deep concern.

"If something will happen it will happen," said Al Hebert, a retired oilfield worker, as he picked up his mail in the Montegut Post Office lobby. "They're not targeting the general public."

Gesile Ledet, who works at La Pointe Po Boy shop in Pointe-Aux-Chenes, said little has changed for her since the word "anthrax" entered the national vocabulary.

"I'm not frightened," she said.

11 INFECTED NATIONWIDE

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control's last public statement reported 11 confirmed anthrax cases, three of which have been fatal:

Florida: 2

New York: 3

New Jersey: 2

Washington, D.C., area: 4

An additional case is pending in New York City.

Confirmed anthrax cases, officials note, are not the same as reports of suspicious packages or letters. Almost all suspicious packages and letters nationwide have come up negative.

The infection toll, some officials note, is far lower than that for Influenza. The flu kills 20,000 or more people each year and causes 100,000 or more hospitalizations.